Video: Using the three-reverb setup

In this video we'll look at how to use 3 reverbs in the mix to get a small, a medium, and a large space. I'll show you that by placing instruments in different environments, we can give the mix depth and interest. So the first thing we're going to do is add a reverb. We'll go and I'll get our D-Verb that we've been using, and this is going to be for our short reverb. This will be a small space and we'll call this a Room, and it will be set to less than one second. In this case I'm going to put it somewhere down 500 milliseconds or so.

In this course, author Bobby Owsinski reveals industry tips, tricks, and techniques for producing professionally mixed audio on any digital audio workstation. He offers recommendations for setting up an optimal listening environment, highlights the most efficient ways to set up and balance a mix, and shows how to build a powerful sound with compression. The course also explains how to master the intricacies of EQ; incorporate reverb, delay, and modulation effects; and generate the final mix.

Using the three-reverb setup

In this video we'll look at how to use 3 reverbs in the mix to get a small, amedium, and a large space.I'll show you that by placing instruments in different environments, we can givethe mix depth and interest.So the first thing we're going to do is add a reverb. We'll go and I'll get ourD-Verb that we've been using, and this is going to be for our short reverb.This will be a small space and we'll call this a Room, and it will be set toless than one second. In this case I'm going to put it somewhere down500 milliseconds or so.

We're going to use this for percussion and drums and maybe even guitars and keyboards.The second one is going to be a medium space and what we're going to do is add aReverb Effects returned.So we'll come up to Track, we'll say New, we'll say Stereo because it soundsbetter in stereo, and we'll say Aux Input.So there is our Aux Input that just came up.Let's call this Rev Medium.Let's again let's add a D-Verb.I am using D-Verb because I think it sounds better than all the other ones.

Now this one we're going to set to a plate. We're going to set it between 1 and 2 seconds.Now it's at 1.7; we'll set it at 1.8.Once again, 20 milliseconds or so sounds really good and what we would like todo also is roll it off to about 10K. That always sounds really good.There is our second one and our third one is going to be a long reverb. This isa large space. D-Verb up again.Now we'll set this to more than 2 seconds, so we'll go to 2.5 in this case.

Once again, 20 milliseconds always sounds good.If we were going to do this really the right way in the mix, we would time thedecay and we time the pre-delay to the track. This will work okay.Let's cut it at 10K and we're all set.The one thing we didn't do is set the bus input for the medium reverb returnchannel that we just created, so let's do that now.And since this was Bus 11 and 12, the other one is 13 or 14, I don't know whatthe other buses are.

I'm just going to say 23 and 24.So now let's have a listen to what these sound like and we'll start with thedrums. I'll start with our snare drum.(Music playing)The first thing we'll do is go to Bus 11-12. That was our short reverb.Let's have a listen what it sounds like.(Music playing)I don't know if that fits this song, so let's actually set this now to the next bus.

Let's set it to 13 and 14. This is to the medium reverb.(Music playing)That seems to fit the track a lot better. Let's listen.(Music playing)That sounds pretty good.

Let's go to the vocal.Vocal is always the most important thing, and once again we'll try thethree different reverbs.Let's set it to 11-12 which is the short one.Let's hear what it sounds like.(Music playing)Again, this is only a half a second, so it doesn't take much to actually putthe singer into a room.

Let's listen in the track.(Music playing)You can hear it. It makes a really big difference, so we're going to keep it there.Let's go to the strings.Strings are interesting because they usually sound really good when they havea long reverb on them, and in this case we have a nice long reverb on our reverb number 3.So let's have a listen. Solo it up.

(Music playing)Okay, now let's listen to the strings, and usually they benefit from areally long reverb.So the first thing we're going to do is we're going to set our bus to 13 or 14,which happens to be the really long reverb.Solo it up first and listen without the reverb at all.(Music playing)Pretty bland.

Let's listen to the reverb added now.(Music playing)Let's go back and forth.We'll go between the muted reverb and the reverb.(Music playing)Let's listen in the track now.

(Music playing)Now let's add a couple more reverbs here to some other instruments.(Music playing)Okay, let's add a reverb to the electric piano.

Let's listen to it by itself now.Here is the electric piano.(Music playing)Let's add some of the medium reverb and see what it sounds like. So we knowthat it's on Bus 23-24.Let's have a quick listen.(Music playing)Let's have a quick listen in the mix now.

(Music playing)Now let's go back and just mute the reverbs quickly and have a listen to what itsounds before and after.Now keep in mind that all of the instruments don't have reverb on them and theydon't normally would, but you can get the idea just from this.(Music playing)So by using three different reverbs we can artificially simulate a small, amedium, and a large environment, and that will help us better layer thetracks in the mix.

Learn by watching, listening, and doing, Exercise files are the same files the author uses in the course, so you can download them and follow along Premium memberships include access to all exercise files in the library.

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Learn by watching, listening, and doing! Exercise files are the same files the author uses in the course, so you can download them and follow along. Exercise files are available with all Premium memberships.
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